Lane Kiffin and USC will have ground to make up in the race for the national title after being ranked No. 24 in the preseason poll. / Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

by Erick Smith, USA TODAY Sports

by Erick Smith, USA TODAY Sports

The top of the preseason USA TODAY Sports Top 25 Coaches Poll has an odd look in 2013: LSU, Oklahoma and USC are nowhere to be found.

Those three schools comprised three of the top four spots in last season's rankings. This year, none were able to crack the top 10.

That's a dramatic shift as the Tigers, Sooners and Trojans have collectively dominated the preseason poll in recent years.

Oklahoma is the only team in the last 12 years to be in the top 10 of every preseason poll.

USC has been in the top five every year since 2004 when they were eligible for the poll. NCAA probation kept the school out in 2010 and 2011.

LSU has been in the top 10 in seven of the past nine seasons.

So before this year, that's 23 of a possible 25 appearances since 2004.

The rare lack of support from coaches comes with each team facing challenges after disappointing seasons.

They Tigers start at No. 13, behind five other SEC teams, as Les Miles is unexpectedly facing with a major rebuilding job after 10 juniors left for the NFL. Among them were stalwart defenders Barkevious Mingo, Sam Montgomery and Eric Reid.

LSU has been seamless in its ability to have top-notch defenses after key losses under Miles, but he has never dealt with this big of a talent drain.

The offense has its own concerns with leading rusher Jeremy Hill suspended after pleading guilty to battery. That puts a ton of pressure on Zach Mettenberger, who must make a big improvement in his second season as a starter.

Oklahoma will open the season at No. 16. Adding insult to the end of their top 10 streak is that in-state rival Oklahoma State sits ahead of the Sooners in the preseason for the first time since USA TODAY Sports took over the poll in 1991.

There's one positive to note if you are an OU fan. The last time it was ranked this low was 2000, the same year Oklahoma won its last national title.

If Bob Stoops is to win title No. 2, he must answer some questions, starting at quarterback with the departure of Landry Jones. The job is expected to go to Blake Bell. The junior has starred running the football out of the team's Belldozer formation, but hasn't shown ability to throw consistently.

There's also challenges for a defense that allowed more than 40 points in three of the last four games. Four of the top five defensive line are gone, and only standout cornerback Aaron Colvin returns as a starter in the secondary.

Although both LSU and OU disappointed in 2012, they each finished 10-3. USC ended up unranked after losing five of its last six games, including an embarrassing loss to Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl.

USC squeaked into this year's poll at No. 24. The Trojans played the final two games without quarterback Matt Barkley and mustered just 20 points with Max Wittek at quarterback. Wittek is competing with Cody Kessler and freshman Max Browne for the starting spot.

The defense also is undergoing change with Lane Kiffin's dad, Monte, out as the unit's coordinator and some key personnel losses. And the Trojans will still be operating with just 75 scholarship players for the second consecutive year.

The low preseason rankings aren't a death sentence to title aspirations of these three teams. Auburn won it all in 2010 after opening at No. 23. Notre Dame managed to find its way to Miami after beginning last year at No. 24.

The rankings do mean the Tigers, Sooners and Trojans have less margin for error than teams at the top. Auburn and Notre Dame went undefeated. A loss for LSU, OU or USC will require a lot of ground to be made up before the final BCS rankings on Dec. 1.